Building a Fantasy Sandbox

Mercurius

Legend
This is a riff of another thread, but I wanted to get more specific and start a discussion on sandboxing. I have never run a true sandbox campaign and I am convinced that it suits my purposes for a few reasons. While there is a large up-front investment of time to prepare--about 24 hours work to get a basic sandbox setting going, according to Rob Conley--I feel that, with the right tools and well-chosen points of preparation, it can require less preparation down the line (or, I would imagine, it would come in bits and pieces as the sandbox grew).

Furthermore, my players have fallen into a relatively passive approach, waiting for the next overly obvious adventure hook and then just following it. I want to inspire initiative in them, to make the world and gaming experience their own.

And finally, I just think the general approach is very much conducive to the kind of sense of wonder and mystery that I want to find in myself.
It is very inspiring and sounds like a lot of fun!

All that aside, let's get to the focus of this thread. In some sense it is an expansion on my request for "Tools for Sandboxing" in the previous thread, but I have a few specific questions that I'm hoping to get answers for:


  1. Examples of Sandbox Campaign Settings - these can be published or personal websites. But I want to see examples of settings that are specifically designed for, or at least very compatible with, the sandbox approach. I am already aware of the "uber-example," Wilderlands of High Fantasy, as well as Rob Conley's Points of Light. What else?
  2. References for Sandboxing - Whether in-print, PDF, or online, hopefully specifically gamer-oriented, and preferably D&D oriented. I do own a fair number of books, including Ultimate Toolbox and DMGs from every edition etc, so I have a lot of materials already. I'm talking about stuff like Medieval Demographics Made Easy.
  3. Guides to Creating Sandboxes - I've found two really good ones: Rob Conley's How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox and Ben Robbins' West Marches. Conley's in particular is so detailed that I may not need anything else as a general step-by-step guide, but I'm also interested in looking at different approaches.
  4. Any Advice for a Sandbox Newbie! - Anything else you might want to impart by way of advice or tips. I would consider myself an "journeyman" DM in that I've been playing (and DMing) D&D in various forms for almost 30 years, but really only sporadically and with a few multiple-year hiatuses in between, which has not allowed me to really master the art of DMing.
Just a few comments about my campaign in order to help you answer the last question. I've been running a 4E campaign for about a year and a half now, but it has been sporadic; we try to meet every other week and occasionally are able to do so for a couple months at a time, but then sometimes go a month or two without playing (especially during the summer). I would guess we've met around 30 times total.

One appeal to the sandbox for me is that we've struggled with having everyone present at every session; my rule has been if more than two people can't come we cancel, but I'd like to have an option where those that can come can play other characters, which would work well with the sandbox approach.

Due to time issues I've only really been able to run them through pre-published adventures but I want to break off into a more free-form approach (thus sandboxing), although I don't see myself as a "sandbox purist" in that I like to throw in larger plot seeds and "Big Happenings" in the world, but I see those as just more dynamic elements of the sandbox environment. But overall I see myself using a sandbox environment with occasional pre-published adventures.

The PCs are currently 8th level and my plan is to develop the world--which I already have a solid foundation of--to the point where I can gradually shift into a more sandbox approach over the next couple months. I am thinking of integrating at least parts of Ari Marmell's Tomb of Horrors, and perhaps other pre-published adventures that look good,into the sandbox (for example, I just used the first part of Goodman Games' Deathdealer: Shadows of Mirahan where the PCs defense a keep from an undead horde, but I'm thinking of using that as a prelude for Tomb of Horrors, as part of Acererak's machinations, but I digress...).I look forward to your thoughts.
 

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Since it is a fantasy sandbox, you are going to need to start with Dreamwood. You need 4 solid 2x4s at whatever length you want to use to build the framing. And of course the sand. I recommend just buying the play sand in bags from Home Depot or Lowes.

Using your magic shovel, dig a shallow pit into the box site. You dont want to dig too deep, but you need a lip in order to prevent the sand from escaping through the bottom of the frame. Do your best to level the ground underneath to prevent uneven distribution.

Place your 2x4s in place and then I recommend just using pressure to maintain their positions (but you may want to use wood glue BEFORE placing in the site, if you are concerned about slippage). Then fill the frame with sand.

Some things to watch out for.

1. Some kids are going to want to expand the sandbox. This can cause some tension. Just realize that they are exploring the world and don't know any better. Just gently move them back to the center of the sandbox and give them a few words of encouragement to get them back on track.

2. Some kids are going to want to bring toys into the sandbox that you are not going to want in the sandbox. For example, a squirt gun sounds like a fun idea until you get sticky wet sand in your crotch. Be careful about what you allow them to bring into the box itself.

3. If you don't keep it covered, critters are going to start getting into it. You can rely upon the kids to smush the critters, but eventually they are going to start wondering where the critters are coming from and that could get messy. They might start really digging into the sandbox and reach a point at which the sand ends and they hit the dirt underneath. This can be a little startling, so if you see any kid digging really deep, just pull them back out, fill in the hole, and encourage them to play on the surface.


Building a sandbox can be a fun and enjoyable exercise. Treat the task with the respect it deserves. Quality construction can last a lifetime.
 

I would start with the gods, who are they, where did they come from, why did they create the world, the dimensions, mortals, etc. Answer these questions well and you will have your foundation.

Next create a little corner of the world you want your PCs to be from, don't give them the option of being from the Far East, or from Timbuktu or wherever, tell them they are from this one little duchy and have them create their backgrounds for that region. This will do two things, it will give you and them some tie-ins to the region to RP off of, and it will keep you from having to have the entire world finished before you get started.

Then flesh out that region/Duchy, make its ruler, decide who lives there, decide what conflicts it has internally and externally. Create some story hooks that you can have NPCs give to the players as they explore, so they don't have to work too hard for adventures.

Finally, find a good leader. This is crucial. If your party has a lot of leaders or no leaders, your sandbox will fail. Someone in the group will need to take the initiative of looking for things to do and for what the group will be known for doing. It doesn't have to be a fighter or cleric leading the troops into battle, a wizard that is trying to become a lich, or a thief that is trying to take over the local guild, anyone can be the driving force of the group, but the group will need some kind of focus, or it will break down into anarchy.

Then sit back and have fun.
 

I agree with athos that you should start with a small corner of the world, but I also think its okay for PCs to be from the far east or what have you. If they do, you can ask them to tell you more about where they came from and how they got to where they are. In this way you can use your players to help fill in world details.
 

Athos, funny you should mention gods--I've got some basic ones but it is one of the aspects of the setting that I have been meaning to work on. Thanks for the reminder!
 

Re resources - James Malizewski's discussions of his Dwimmermount campaign on his Grognardia blog are well worth reading.

I used to have online websites for my Borderlands/Lost City of Gaxmoor and Lost City of Barakus sandbox campaigns, but they were on Geocities... :(

I've mentioned Vault of Larin Karr and Lost City of Barakus as good examples of published sandboxes, again well worth acquiring. Larin Karr's use of the "Matrix" approach to campaign design is particularly interesting but not 100% successful IME: "Oh look, ANOTHER entrance to the Underdark!" to quote one of my players :) Also I reduced the VolK map scale to 1/5 that listed.
Both LCoB and VolK have something you won't see in eg Points of Light: fully developed NPCs with their own agendas.
 

The original Dungeons & Dragons set of three "little brown books" laid out a very convenient plan. Less convenient is WotC's withdrawal of legal PDFs.

Arneson's The First Fantasy Campaign (Judges Guild, 1977) may be easier to acquire. It is a collection of miscellaneous material from the seminal Blackmoor campaign, even less polished than the LBBs but offering more detailed examples of how the game was set up and conducted. For instance, "Outdoors in Blackmoor", pp. 36-41, deals with setting up a map, moderating adventures across it, and reflecting the migration of monsters and probable eventual pacification of a region.

The 1st edition Advanced Books are pretty widely and inexpensively available used, and Gygax's Dungeon Masters Guide is a comprehensive classic. It is not very well organized, though, and (for all it typically adds detail) may actually explain some things less clearly for the neophyte than did the LBBs.

The Expert sets, or the free PDF "retro clone" Labyrinth Lord, might be handiest of all as a brief on the basics.
 

Larin Karr's use of the "Matrix" approach to campaign design is particularly interesting but not 100% successful IME: "Oh look, ANOTHER entrance to the Underdark!" to quote one of my players :)

Do you have a link that discusses the 'Matrix' approach in more detail?

Thanks!
 


Re resources - James Malizewski's discussions of his Dwimmermount campaign on his Grognardia blog are well worth reading.

I used to have online websites for my Borderlands/Lost City of Gaxmoor and Lost City of Barakus sandbox campaigns, but they were on Geocities... :(

I've mentioned Vault of Larin Karr and Lost City of Barakus as good examples of published sandboxes, again well worth acquiring. Larin Karr's use of the "Matrix" approach to campaign design is particularly interesting but not 100% successful IME: "Oh look, ANOTHER entrance to the Underdark!" to quote one of my players :) Also I reduced the VolK map scale to 1/5 that listed.
Both LCoB and VolK have something you won't see in eg Points of Light: fully developed NPCs with their own agendas.

You know I own a copy of the Lost City of Barakus but have barely looked at it. I'll take a look.

The original Dungeons & Dragons set of three "little brown books" laid out a very convenient plan. Less convenient is WotC's withdrawal of legal PDFs.

Arneson's The First Fantasy Campaign (Judges Guild, 1977) may be easier to acquire. It is a collection of miscellaneous material from the seminal Blackmoor campaign, even less polished than the LBBs but offering more detailed examples of how the game was set up and conducted. For instance, "Outdoors in Blackmoor", pp. 36-41, deals with setting up a map, moderating adventures across it, and reflecting the migration of monsters and probable eventual pacification of a region.

The 1st edition Advanced Books are pretty widely and inexpensively available used, and Gygax's Dungeon Masters Guide is a comprehensive classic. It is not very well organized, though, and (for all it typically adds detail) may actually explain some things less clearly for the neophyte than did the LBBs.

The Expert sets, or the free PDF "retro clone" Labyrinth Lord, might be handiest of all as a brief on the basics.

I have all the 1E Advanced books and they are great references, especially the DMG.

As for OD&D, I'd love to see WotC issue a "commemorative" re-printing. It would be cheap to produce and probably sell like hot-cakes (of course they'd probably be tempted to pretty it up ;).
 

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